Aviation: Exhaust Emissions

Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the Government's plans are for the implementation of any control measures on carbon emissions proposed by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Simon Burns: At this stage the Government does not have any specific plans on the implementation of control measures for emissions agreed in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The Government intends to work through ICAO to secure an ambitious global agreement to address international aviation emissions at this year's General Assembly (24 September-4 October).
	It would be premature to develop plans for implementation on the CO2 standard (due to be adopted at the 2016 General Assembly) and on market based measures (due to be discussed at this year's Assembly) given the uncertainty on a number of design elements. The Government is however, actively involved in the development of these measures and is taking account of the feasibility and practicality of implementation.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many anti-social behaviour orders were issued (a) nationally and (b) in Essex in each of the last five years; and what the rate of breaching of anti-social behaviour orders was (i) nationally and (ii) in Essex in each such year.

Jeremy Browne: The number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued by all courts in England and Wales, and by courts in the Essex police force area in each year between 2007 and 2011 (the latest year for which data are currently available) can be viewed in the table.
	ASBOs can be breached more than once and in more than one year. Because of this, current ASBO breach rates are calculated by considering the total number of ASBOs issued in a particular geographical area between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2011, and the total number of such orders which have been breached at least once over the same period of time.
	Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2011, a total of 57.3 % of the ASBOs issued at all courts in England and Wales were breached at least once during that period of time. Over the same time period, 56.9 % of the ASBOs issued at all courts in the Essex police force area were breached at least once.
	ASBO data for 2012 is scheduled for publication in October 2013.
	
		
			 Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued at all courts(1) in England and Wales and the Essex police force area, as reported to the Ministry of Justice(2) by the Court Service, 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2011 
			 Area 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 Essex 28 15 20 9 29 
			 England and Wales 2,299 2,027 1,671 1,664 1,414 
			 (1) Includes ASBOs issued on application by magistrates courts acting in their civil capacity and county courts, which became available on 1 April 1999 and ASBOs made following conviction for a relevant criminal offence at the Crown Court and at magistrates courts (acting in their criminal capacity), which became available on 2 December 2002. (2) Prior to the creation of the Ministry of Justice on 9 May 2007, numbers of ASBOs issued were reported to Home Office by the Court Service. Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Prepared by Justice Statistics Analytical Services within the Ministry of Justice.

Electronic Surveillance: Admissibility of Evidence

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish any assessment that her Department has (a) conducted and (b) commissioned into the use of intercept evidence in criminal trials since the completion of the Privy Council review of intercept as evidence in February 2008.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 3 June 2013
	A written ministerial statement of 10 December 2009, Official Report, column 31WS, reported the conclusions of the work programme set in train following the Privy Council Review of 2008. A report of further scoping analysis was placed in the House Libraries in March 2010.
	As announced by the Secretary of State for the Home Department on 26 January 2011 the Government is reviewing the benefits, costs and risks of enabling the use of intercept material as evidence in criminal trials under the guidance of the cross-party group of Privy Counsellors. We will report back to the House in due course.

Licensed Premises

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many alcohol licences have been issued to premises in England and Wales with a rateable value of over (a) £1,000,000 and (b) £2,000,000 in each year since 2007.

Jeremy Browne: The Home Office does not collect this information. Its alcohol licensing statistics collection covers numbers of premises licences by fee band (based on non-domestic rateable value). The highest of these fee bands includes premises with rateable values of at least £125,001.
	The most recent Home Office alcohol licensing statistics are published in 'Alcohol and Late Night Refreshment Licensing, England and Wales 2011-12', which is published on-line at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alcohol-and-late-night-refreshment-licensing-england-and-wales-2011-12

Members: Correspondence

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the hon. Member for Warley can expect to receive a reply from her Department to his letter of 18 April regarding the case of Ms. Mangena.

Mark Harper: The Home Office wrote to the right hon. Member on 4 June 2013.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 17 April 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr M Shahidul Alam.

Mark Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 4 June 2013.

Offences Against Children: Internet

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of the incidence of child abuse images on the internet.

Jeremy Browne: The Government takes very seriously the issue of tackling child abuse images online.
	In 2012, 255 individuals were found guilty of the principal offence of possessing prohibited images of children or of possessing indecent photographs. In the same year, 1,315 individuals were found guilty of the principal offence of taking, permitting to be taken, making, distributing or publishing indecent photographs of children. We do not keep information on how many of these cases were internet-related, as the offence being committed is the creation, dissemination and possession of such images, rather than the means by which they are obtained.

Passports

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans the Government has for citizens to be able to complete passport applications at post offices in the future in the same way that they can at present for driving licences and biometric residence permits.

Mark Harper: Her Majesty's Passport Office currently have a commercial arrangement with the Post Office to offer a 'Check and Send' service. This enables applicants to have their passport application form checked for accuracy by the Post Office and submitted on their behalf. This is a paper based service using printed photographs and original supporting documents.
	The Post Office currently offer an electronic application submission for driving licences and biometric residence permits, but at present this does not extend to passport applications.
	Her Majesty's Passport Office, like the rest of UK Government, has embraced the digital by default strategy championed by the Cabinet Office. In order to deliver the digital service our customers require we are first launching an online application channel later this year, starting with overseas customers. This will not initially support digital submission of photographs or supporting documents however we are now in the process of agreeing our digital roadmap which will consider how this might be achieved in the near future, but it will have the potential to be developed into a fully digital service in future.

Proceeds of Crime

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration the Government has given to implementing a central bank register to facilitate the seizing of proceeds of crime.

Jeremy Browne: The UK is committed to tackling illicit financial activity, which is a key priority for the UK's G8 presidency. Through this, and the EU, the UK is working to ensure full implementation of the Financial Action Task Force Standards, including ensuring access to information in order to effectively seize the proceeds of crime. The Government is not convinced that a central bank register is necessary in order to achieve this.

Sexual Offences

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made on the establishment of a European sexual offenders register.

Jeremy Browne: The EU has no current plans for a European Sexual Offenders Register. However, public protection is a priority for this Government and the notification requirements for registered sex offenders in our domestic legislation form an invaluable tool in the management of offenders within the community and the assessing of risk of such individuals travelling outside the UK.
	The UK is actively involved in a number of areas of work aimed at enhancing the monitoring of serious sexual and violent offenders travelling within the EU. We are leading an EU funded project known as SOMEC—serious offending by mobile European criminals. This two year research based project is evaluating current procedures for law enforcement and offender management, and will publish a concluding report making recommendations for improvements. The project has international partners from the Netherlands, Latvia and Catalonia in Spain.
	The UK is also actively supporting Project Haven, Europol's initiative against travelling sex offenders, launched in November 2010, which aims to disrupt sexual offences against children perpetrated by EU citizens abroad (intra or extra EU).
	The UK has one of the most robust systems of managing sexual offenders in the world. We will continue to work with international policing and law enforcement agencies to ensure that the right powers are available for the authorities to tackle serious sexual crimes and to bring perpetrators to justice.

Social Networking: Incitement

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has held with (a) Twitter, (b) Facebook and (c) other social media providers on measures to remove hate speech from their platforms; and what steps (i) her Department and (ii) social media providers have taken as a consequence of those discussions.

Jeremy Browne: Tackling hate crime is an issue that the Government takes very seriously and we already have in place one of the strongest legislative frameworks in the world to protect communities from hostility, violence and bigotry. These laws apply equally to online material.
	If a website publishes illegal content the relevant internet service provider will remove it. If content which is not illegal but which is offensive is published, it may infringe the service provider's "acceptable use policy" and can be removed.
	The Government is working with leading social media providers and other industry representatives to improve the response to offensive and criminal online material.

Capital Allowances

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to (a) consult and (b) report on proposals to align the treatment of assets eligible for mineral extraction allowances with that for assets eligible for plant and machinery allowance where profits are not taxed in the UK.

David Gauke: At Budget 2013, the Government announced its plans to consult informally on proposals to align the treatment of assets eligible for mineral extraction allowances with that for assets eligible for plant and machinery allowances, where profits are not taxed in the UK.
	The Government will report on its proposals once that consultation, which will begin before the summer recess, is complete.

Coinage: Forgery

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of counterfeit £1 coins currently in circulation.

Sajid Javid: The Royal Mint regularly conducts surveys to estimate the level of counterfeit £1 coins in the UK. A survey undertaken in November 2012 estimated there to be around £40 million counterfeit £1 coins in circulation.
	Provisions for various offences connected with the counterfeiting of coins are included in the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981. Enforcement of these provisions is a matter for law enforcement agencies, such as the police, Serious and Organised Crime Agency and the Crown Prosecution Service.

Gift Aid

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will report on the consultation undertaken to make it easier to claim Gift Aid; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: The Government wants to see a high rate of Gift Aid claims across all the ways people give to charity. Budget 2013 announced that we would consult on proposals to make it easier to claim Gift Aid on a wide range of digital giving channels. A consultation document will be published shortly setting out the proposals.

Income Tax: Scotland

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had with the Scottish Government regarding support to individuals affected by relief at source tax arrangements to ensure they receive the correct amount of tax relief following the introduction of different tax rates under the Scotland Act 2012.

David Gauke: The Government has made clear that Scottish taxpayers who contribute directly to pension schemes will continue to receive relief for their contributions at their marginal income tax rate. HMRC have consulted industry representatives on changes to the relief at source process that will be required as a result of the new Scottish rate of income tax in the Scotland Act Pensions Technical Group, on which the Scottish Government is represented.

Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

Richard Burden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average waiting time for customers telephoning HM Revenue and Customs' Self Assessment Helpline was in May 2013.

David Gauke: The average queue time for HM Revenue and Customs Self Assessment Helpline in May 2013 was 8 minutes, 42 seconds.

Tax Avoidance

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce penalties against legal, accountancy or other companies or advisers who are found to have promoted arrangements the primary purpose of which is to avoid tax rather than to conduct any substantive economic transaction.

David Gauke: The Government announced in the Budget that it will consult on new powers to take tougher action against high risk promoters of tax avoidance schemes, including new information and penalty powers, and the possible use of ‘naming and shaming’. The consultation is expected to begin shortly.

Landlords: Immigration Controls

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria he proposes to use to identify high-risk areas where landlords will be required to check on the immigration status of prospective tenants; and whether the proportion of ethnic minorities living in an area will form part of those criteria.

Mark Prisk: The Government is taking action to stop rogue landlords who cash in from housing illegal immigrants. These measures will send out a strong signal and help reduce unsustainable immigration.
	We will avoid burdening the private rented sector with unnecessary red tape and any changes will not adversely affect UK nationals looking to rent.
	More information on the proposals will be published for consultation in due course, and the reforms will be subject to scrutiny by Parliament.

Right to Buy Scheme: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authority-owned properties have been purchased through the Government's Right-to-Buy scheme in Birmingham, Hall Green constituency in each of the last three years.

Mark Prisk: Data on the sales of local authority properties through the Right to Buy scheme are not available at constituency level. Figures are available at local authority level and can be found in Tables 691 (quarterly data) and 685 (annual data) at these places:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/199104/Table_691.xls
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/200525/Table_685__version_2_.xls
	The figures show that there were 626 sales through the Right to Buy scheme in Birmingham, the local authority that covers the Hall Green constituency, in the three years between 2010-11 and 2012-13. It should be noted that these are sales from local authorities and do not include sales of social housing stock through Preserved Right to Buy made by registered providers (such as housing associations).
	Right to Buy sales have doubled in Birmingham since the new discounts were introduced, but there is more to do to inform tenants of their new rights and help them up the ladder of home ownership.

Temporary Accommodation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average length of time people spend in temporary accommodation after being made homeless is.

Mark Prisk: The Department does not collect precise information on the average length of time spent by homeless households in temporary accommodation, but estimates suggest that the average length of time has fallen, from an average across England of 19 months in 2009-10 to 13 months in 2012-13.
	We are investing £470 million in homelessness prevention over four years (2011-12 to 2014-15) to help local authorities and voluntary sector partners prevent and tackle homelessness, rough sleeping and repossessions. We have also invested an additional £1.7 million over two years (2012-13 to 2013-14) in a new scheme to support local authorities deliver a 'Gold Standard' homelessness prevention service to stem future increases in statutory homelessness and rough sleeping. Homelessness is around half the average level it was under the last Administration. Homelessness acceptances remain lower than in 27 of the last 30 years.

Energy

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the Government plans to review the threshold at which energy suppliers are required to participate in social and environmental programmes.

Gregory Barker: The Government is keen to ensure a regulatory framework that facilitates competition among current participants, encourages new entrants and allows small suppliers to grow.
	The exemptions for small suppliers from certain environmental and social programmes are a key element of the framework which we continue to consider as we look at removing barriers to entry and growth.

Nuclear Power Stations

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when the UK's new fleet of nuclear power stations will come on line; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The Government is firmly committed to ensure that the conditions are right for investment in new nuclear power in the UK. It is for energy companies to construct, operate and decommission nuclear power stations. Industry has set out plans to develop around 16GW of new nuclear power stations in the UK, the first of which is expected to come on line in the early 2020s.

Wind Power

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the level of public support for offshore and onshore wind.

Michael Fallon: We recognise that many people have real concerns about the siting of onshore wind turbines in their communities and how they are involved in this process: The government has today announced reforms to change the balance and give local people a stronger say of the siting of onshore wind farms. Where new turbines are agreed we will ensure that they are developed in a way that benefits the local community, such as cheaper bills.
	DECC publishes a regular tracker which includes public attitudes to renewable energy. The most recent survey is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/198722/Summary_of_Wave_5_findings_ of_Public_Attitudes_Tracker.pdf

Absenteeism

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the annual cost to companies in England of workplace absenteeism.

Esther McVey: DWP does not routinely collect data on the cost of sickness absence or workplace absenteeism, but the 2011 report "Health at Work" by Dame Carol Black and David Frost estimated that sickness absence costs employers in Great Britain £8.9 billion per year.
	The Government is currently working on a range of measures that will support people to remain in and return to work, including a new health and work assessment and advisory service which will make occupational health expertise more widely available to those employees and employers who need it most.

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of people flowing on to jobseeker's allowance (JSA) were in receipt of (a) income-based JSA and (b) contribution-based JSA in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mark Hoban: In the year to November 2012, DWP generalised matching service (GMS) data suggests that around two thirds of JSA inflows were income-based and around a quarter contribution-based. In a small number of cases people receive both contributory and income-based JSA, and some people receive national insurance credits.

Work Capability Assessment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what items of equipment are available for the audio recording of the work capability assessments.

Mark Hoban: Currently Atos Healthcare has 31 audio recording machines, three of which are in for repair. They also have access to 21 cassette machines on loan from DWP.
	Claimants who have requested to record their own assessment must use appropriate equipment that can provide two copies of the recording in such a way to ensure that the recording has not been tampered with and is a reliable and accurate record of the assessment.
	For this reason certain devices which are capable of real-time editing or live-streaming are not approved; such as computing devices, these include but are not limited to; PCs and laptops, tablets, smart phones, MP3 players or devices which cannot provide a media copy that can be easily verified during the assessment. Media types that are acceptable at this time are standard CD and audio tapes only.

Work Capability Assessment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many requests for an audio recording of the work capability assessment have been turned down to date; and for what reasons.

Mark Hoban: Presently only nine requests for an audio recording have been turned down, this occurred in July 2012. This was because they could not be accommodated within the four week timeframe for arranging assessments.
	DWP had previously asked Atos Healthcare to accommodate requests for recorded assessments within four weeks and where this was not possible the assessment should go ahead without a recording.
	However, to help ensure claimant expectations can be met, the four week timeframe has currently been removed to enable us to gather a fuller picture of demand and capacity in order to inform a full and robust evaluation of the interim audio recording policy.

Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress has been made on negotiations on the comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty.

Alistair Burt: The comprehensive test ban treaty (CTBT) was adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 1996 but has not yet entered into force.
	159 states have ratified the CTBT. However, the CTBT requires all 44 states named in Annex II of the treaty to ratify it for it to enter into force. At present eight of the Annex II states have not ratified the CTBT (USA, China, India, Pakistan, Israel, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Iran and Egypt).
	The UK has long been a supporter of the CTBT, being the first country, along with France, to sign and ratify the treaty in 1996 and 1998 respectively. We continue to push for the eight remaining Annex II states to ratify the treaty through bilateral discussions, discussions in multilateral forums, and our support to build the monitoring capacity and verification regime of the CTBT organisation in Vienna.

European Gendarmerie Force

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs under what circumstances the European Gendarmerie Force would be used in the UK.

David Lidington: 1 cannot foresee any circumstances under which the European Gendarmerie Force (EGF) would be used in the UK.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress has been made on negotiations on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Alistair Burt: The Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was opened for signature in July 1968, and entered into force in 1970. Review Conferences are held every five years, to review the operation of the Treaty, with Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) meetings also held in the three years preceding the Review Conference.
	In April - May 2013, the second PrepCom for this review cycle was held among state parties, under the Chairmanship of Coronel Ferruta of Romania. The main issues for debate were around disarmament, the proliferation challenges of Iran and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and the conference planned on the establishment of a Middle East Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone. The UK statements are available on the UN website:
	http://www.un.org/disarmament/WMD/Nuclear/NPT2015/PrepCom2013/

Nuclear Weapons

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress has been made on negotiations on the Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty.

Alistair Burt: The Government wants negotiations to start in the Conference on Disarmament (CD) on a fissile material cut-off treaty (FMCT). We continue to work with partners in the CD to press Pakistan to end its block on the start of negotiations.
	We supported the resolution at last year's UN General Assembly (UNGA) First Committee to create a group of government experts (GGE) to discuss the issues surrounding a FMCT. We hope that this will prove to be a useful mechanism to kick- start negotiations within the CD.
	The UN Office for Disarmament Affairs sent a request to member states in January asking for views on a FMCT to inform preparations for the GGE. A copy of the UK's note to the UN has been placed in the Library of the House.

Developing Countries: Health Services

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the benefits of the product development partnerships model for the development of new technologies for (a) HIV, (b) tuberculosis and (c) malaria.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK Government has supported Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) since their inception and to date they have been successful in developing a wide range of new health technologies for use in developing countries. These have included six new diagnostic tests for TB, six new drug combinations for malaria and a number of drug, microbicide and vaccine candidates in different stages of development.

Children: Protection

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment has been made of the likely effects of the provisions of the Children and Families Bill to seek child protection outcomes within a 26-week window.

Edward Timpson: The 26 week time limit for the completion of care and supervision cases was recommended by the Family Justice Review, which found clear evidence that lengthy care cases can have harmful long-term effects on a child's development, expose children to more risk, and cause already damaged children further distress and anxiety.
	The 26 week time limit clause in the Children and Families Bill does not change the fact that the child's welfare remains the court's paramount consideration when deciding whether to grant a care or supervision order. The court will have the power to extend the-26 week time limit where it is necessary to resolve proceedings justly.
	Prior to the introduction of the Bill, we conducted a full assessment of the impact of the proposed measures. This assessment found that children in care proceedings are expected to benefit from quicker decisions, with more timely decision making on their futures and, therefore, reduced periods of uncertainty. We expect permanent placements to be found more swiftly for children, meaning stability for the child will be achieved earlier. The full assessment of impact for the Family Justice clauses in the Bill can be found on the DFE website(1).
	We are already starting to see progress in the system. Average case durations have come down from 56 weeks at the time of the Family Justice Review to just over 45 weeks in the last reporting period.
	We are also using a piloting provision within the court rules to make interim adjustments to the Public Law Outline (PLO) for judicial case management. The new PLO has been significantly reduced in length and incorporates several key changes to underpin a move towards a system which routinely concludes care cases within 26 weeks.
	Areas will be able to implement the new approach in a phased way from 1 July 2013, depending on local readiness. There is an expectation that all areas will implement the new PLO by 7 October 2013, although there will be some flexibility for those agencies/local authorities which may still not be able to comply with all the new provisions within this time scale.
	(1)http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/departmentalinformation/childrenandfamiliesbill/a00221161/children-families-bill

Free Schools

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many complaints his Department received from people or organisations applying to open free schools about (a) personal attacks, (b) threats and (c) intimidation related to their applications in each of the last two years; and what steps his Department took in response to each of those complaints.

Edward Timpson: Through verbal communications between officials and free school groups, the Department has been alerted to several incidents including a death threat, persistent and intimidating behaviour towards a free school group and teachers associated with free school applications losing their jobs. The Department has also been informed in writing of a personal attack, a threat and an incidence of racist graffiti found on a free school site.
	A recent article in TheSunday Times included some figures involved with free schools speaking about their experiences dealing with instances of intimidation and threats. This article is here:
	http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/newsreview/education/article1227033.ece
	There was a further article in the Telegraph written by the Chair of Governors of a free school in which they detailed their experience of dealing with hostile attention. The article is here:
	http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tobyyoung/100203533/michael-gove-writes-open-letter-to-the-information-commissioner-about-free-schools/
	Where we have concerns that incidents involved potentially illegal activity, we have checked whether the group has contacted the police.

Schools: Sports

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department issues to primary schools on the teaching of swimming.

Edward Timpson: The Government is committed to ensuring that swimming takes place in schools. Swimming is an important part of the national curriculum, which requires that all pupils must be taught to swim at least 25 metres unaided, and be able to use recognised swimming strokes by the end of key stage 2 (age 11). It also requires that a child can demonstrate an understanding of water safety. The Secretary of State for Education has said that following the current review swimming will remain compulsory in the national curriculum.
	We do not prescribe how teachers should teach swimming, or any other subject, as we believe that individual schools and teachers are best placed to decide how to address the particular needs of their pupils.

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent steps he has taken to reduce the number of repeat abortions; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of these measures;
	(2)  what recent steps he has taken to reduce the number of abortions carried out on girls under the age of 16; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of such measures.

Anna Soubry: The Government's ‘Framework for Sexual Health Improvement’, published in March this year, contained an ambition to reduce unwanted pregnancy in women of all ages. The document highlights that there is evidence that provision of contraception, particularly long acting methods of contraception, supplied or fitted by the abortion provider can reduce repeat abortions. It also highlights the evidence base for reducing teenage conceptions and why it is vital to continue to make progress in this area. The Department will review progress on all the ambitions in the Framework and a wider set of indicators, including repeat abortions and teenage conceptions, on an annual basis.
	In the past five years, 2007-11, there has been a 21.3% decrease in the under 16 abortion rate in England. Continuing to reduce the rate of under 18 conceptions is an indicator in the Public Health Outcomes Framework.

Dementia

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the new dementia diagnosis targets for each Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) showing the (a) CCG name and code, (b) CCG current diagnosis rate, (c) CCG diagnosis rate ambition for 2013-14 and (d) CCG diagnosis rate ambition for 2014-15.

Norman Lamb: Data on clinical commissioning group (CCG) ambitions for improving diagnosis rates through to 2014-15, has been provided by NHS England and, has been placed in the Library.
	The current CCG diagnosis rates, derived from primary care trust 2011-12 data, are available at:
	www.dementiaprevalencecalculator.org.uk
	The diagnosis rates are illustrated at CCG level; the data are not available as a list of CCGs in spreadsheet format.
	NHS England will support CCGs to learn from each other and to support professional insight into the benefits of timely diagnosis for dementia sufferers.
	NHS England has an ambition to ensure that two-thirds of people with dementia are identified and given appropriate support by 2015. Further details are available at:
	http://www.england.nhs.uk/2013/05/15/dementia-targets/

Health Education

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's policy is on providing advice on diet and lifestyle with the objective of reducing the number of hospital admissions.

Anna Soubry: Government advice on a healthy balanced diet is encapsulated in the United Kingdom's national food guide, 'the eatwell plate', which is based on long term epidemiological studies, which show that this type of diet can help prevent diet related chronic disease.
	The Government supports a number of healthy eating initiatives, which help and encourage people to improve their health and well being. This includes the Change4life campaign, 5 a day scheme, Public Health Responsibility Deal, Healthy Start scheme and through the NHS Choices consumer based information website.

Midwives

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's recommended ratio of mothers to midwives is; and what information his Department holds on which health authorities have not employed sufficient midwives to meet that recommended level.

Daniel Poulter: Under the current Government, midwife numbers have increased by over 1,300, and there are record numbers of midwives in training.
	The Department does not recommend a midwife to births ratio. The midwife to births ratio is an indication of throughput only, and does not indicate the safety, quality or outcome of the service provided.
	It is the responsibility of national health service organisations to ensure high quality care and choice for women in pregnancy and during childbirth. However, the Government is committed to giving mothers the support and care they need throughout their pregnancy, birth and after birth. Safety and high quality care for mothers are at the heart of maternity services.
	Health Education England will ensure that overall the work force has the right skills, behaviours and training, and is available in the right numbers, to support the delivery of excellent health care and drive health improvement. Local Education and Training Boards have reported that their service provider partners are actively engaged in reviewing the level and mix of nursing and related health care staffing, including midwives, in response to a range of factors including higher activity than forecast. In parallel organisations will be considering issues associated with productivity to ensure staffing levels are both safe and affordable.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she plans to answer Question 156335, tabled by the hon. Member for Reading East on 15 May 2013 for answer on 20 May 2013.

Hugh Robertson: The question was answered on 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 802W.

Armed Forces: Public Transport

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the 10 most frequently undertaken journeys on domestic public transport by military personnel were in 2012.

Andrew Murrison: The most frequent journeys in 2012 were:
	Andover—London
	Catterick Garrison—Darlington
	Bristol—London
	High Wycombe—London
	Chippenham—London
	London—Swindon
	Portsmouth Harbour—London
	Salisbury—London
	London—Princes Risborough
	London—Newark
	The list only provides details of travel booked through the Hogg Robinson Group contract with the Ministry of Defence; any travel booked and paid for outside the contract is not included. The travel will include duty journeys, meetings, courses, postings, resettlement, medicals etc.

Army: Officers

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) brigadiers, (b) major generals, (c) lieutenant generals and (d) generals are posted in (i) Scotland, (ii) Wales, (iii) Northern Ireland and (iv) England.

Andrew Murrison: Senior military personnel are distributed across the UK according to military capability requirements, not on a proportional basis.
	The number of UK Regular Army Brigadiers, Major Generals, Lieutenant Generals and Generals posted in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England as at 1 April 2013 are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Number 
			 UK 173 
			 OF-6 Brigadier 124 
			 OF-7 Major General 36 
			 OF-8 Lieutenant General 10 
			 OF-9 General 3 
			   
			 Scotland 4 
			 OF-6 Brigadier 2 
			 OF-7 Major General 2 
			 OF-8 Lieutenant General 0 
			 OF-9 General 0 
			   
			 Wales 1 
			 OF-6 Brigadier 1 
			 OF-7 Major General 0 
			 OF-8 Lieutenant General 0 
			 OF-9 General 0 
			   
			 Northern Ireland 2 
			 OF-6 Brigadier 2 
			 OF-7 Major General 0 
			 OF-8 Lieutenant General 0 
			 OF-9 General 0 
			   
			 England 166 
			 OF-6 Brigadier 119 
			 OF-7 Major General 34 
			 OF-8 Lieutenant General 10 
			 OF-9 General 3 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are for UK regular forces. 2. UK regular forces data are sourced from joint personnel administration (JPA) system. Location data is based on the station location of the individual as recorded in the 'Assignment Location field' of the JPA system. The figures are based on service personnel's station location and not the location of residence—where personnel work is not necessarily where they live. Personnel deployed on operations to an area away from their stationed location are shown against their most recent stationed location. Source: Defence Statistics (Tri-Service)

East Asia

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many defence attaché posts in East Asia have been closed since May 2010.

Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence has not closed any Defence Attaché posts in East Asia since May 2010.

Navy: Officers

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Navy officers holding the rank of (a) commodore, (b) rear admiral, (c) vice admiral and (d) admiral are posted in (i) Scotland, (ii) Wales, (iii) Northern Ireland and (iv) England.

Andrew Murrison: Senior military personnel are distributed across the UK according to military capability requirements, not on a proportional basis.
	The following table sets out the numbers of UK Regular Royal Navy Officers at the rank of Commodore, Rear Admiral, Vice Admiral and Admiral, by location as at 1 April 2013. There are no Naval Service officers in the rank of Commodore or above permanently based in Wales or Northern Ireland.
	
		
			  Naval Service Royal Marines Royal Navy 
			 UK 102 14 88 
			 OF6 Commodore/Brigadier 67 9 58 
			 OF7 Rear Admiral/Major General 26 4 22 
			 OF8 Vice Admiral/Lieutenant General 7 1 6 
			 OF9 Admiral(1) 2 0 2 
			     
			 Scotland 3 0 3 
			 OF6 Commodore/Brigadier 2 0 2 
			 OF7 Rear Admiral/Major General 1 0 1 
			 OF8 Vice Admiral/Lieutenant General 0 0 0 
			 OF9 Admiral 0 0 0 
			     
			 England 99 14 85 
			 OF6 Commodore/Brigadier 65 9 56 
			 OF7 Rear Admiral/Major General 25 4 21 
			 OF8 Vice Admiral/Lieutenant General 7 1 6 
			 OF9 Admiral(1) 2 0 2 
			 (1) There were two OF9 Admirals on 1 April 2013. This was reduced to one when Admiral Zambellas relieved Admiral Stanhope as First Sea Lord/Chief of Naval Staff in mid April. Notes: 1. Figures are for UK Regular Forces. 2. UK Regular Forces data are sourced from Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system. Location data is based on the station location of the individual as recorded in the 'Assignment Location field' of the JPA system. The figures are based on service personnel's station location and not the location of residence—where personnel work is not necessarily where they live. Personnel deployed on operations to an area away from their stationed location are shown against their most recent stationed location. Source: Defence Statistics (Tri-Service)

Floods: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of homes in London at risk of (a) flash flooding and (b) other forms of flooding; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: Flash flooding is caused by an intense rainfall event, and in London this would be experienced as surface water flooding. Drain London (the Greater London Authority group) has estimated that up to 1.3 million properties are in areas at risk of surface water flooding from a rainfall event with 0.5% probability of flooding.
	The Environment Agency's National Assessment of Flood Risk, states that in London 534,804 properties are at risk from tidal and/or fluvial (river) flooding.

Raves

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what system his Department has put in place to monitor the number of illegal raves taking place on farms; and what advice his Department gives to farmers and local police forces on the prevention of illegal raves.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA does not have a system in place to monitor the number of illegal raves taking place on farms; there are sufficient legislative controls in place at a local level to deal with these illegal events. We do not give advice to farmers or local police on the prevention of illegal raves; dealing with them is an operational matter for the police and relevant local authorities.

Regulation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what processes his Department has put in place to (a) monitor, (b) collate cost information on, (c) review and (d) respond to requests to amend or revoke regulations introduced by his Department;
	(2)  what the title was of each set of regulations introduced by his Department in each month since May 2010; and which of those regulations have been (a) subject to the (i) one in one out and (ii) one in two out procedure and (b) (i) revoked and (ii) amended;
	(3)  if he will provide the estimated cost of each regulation introduced by his Department since May 2010; and what the estimated benefits of each regulation (a) amended and (b) revoked were.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA introduced 192 statutory instruments between May 2010 and 30 April 2013 but no primary legislation. In addition, 211 regulations were revoked either in whole or in part. A list of these has been placed in the Library of the House.
	Details of the costs to business are set out in the individual Impact Assessments which can be found on:
	http://www.legislation.gov.uk
	where they are linked to the legislation.
	Not all regulations require an Impact Assessment and therefore no costs are available for these regulations. Those regulations annotated with * denote those which did not require an Impact Assessment.
	Regulations that have a direct cost to business and are in scope of one-in, one-out (OIOO) and one-in, two-out (OITO) are published in Departments’ six monthly statements of new regulation (SNR). These are available from BIS here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/reducing-the-impact-of-regulation-on-business/supporting-pages/operating-a-one-in-two-out-rule-for-business-regulation
	DEFRA carries out regular reviews of its regulations as specified in individual pieces of legislation. Typically, these are between five to seven years after implementation depending on whether the legislation is domestic or EU in origin.
	Under the Red Tape Challenge initiative DEFRA has reviewed approximately 600 regulations, the majority under two themes, “environment” and “water and marine”. The outcomes of these reviews to date, including DEFRA’s implementation plan for environment, are available here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs/series/better-regulation-red-tape-challenge
	The water and marine implementation plan is to be published shortly.

Hillsborough Stadium

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he had had with the Director of Public Prosecutions about the possible effect his resignation will have on the pending inquiries into individuals and organisations involved in the investigations into the Hillsborough disaster.

Helen Grant: I have not had any discussions with the Director of Public
	Prosecutions on this matter. The Home Office is responsible for the pending police investigations into the Hillsborough disaster.

Legal Aid Scheme

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the proposals outlined in his Department's consultation on transforming legal aid on the quality of legal advice provided under legal aid.

Jeremy Wright: The Government has consulted on a number of proposals to reform legal aid via the ‘Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system’ consultation which closed on 4 June 2013. This included proposed model of competitive tendering for criminal legal aid services. We have been clear we must continue to bear down on the cost of legal aid, including the £1 billion of taxpayers’ money spent on criminal legal aid a year, to ensure we are getting the best deal for the taxpayer.
	We are clear we will continue to uphold everyone's right to a fair trial—but that does not mean we should not look again at how the system which provides this is operated. Quality assured duty solicitors and lawyers will still be available—just as they are now. The Legal Aid Agency would ensure, as part of the tendering process, that all providers are capable of delivering the full range of criminal legal aid services under contract across their procurement areas. Our proposals envisage a quality review which is more extensive than that in the current system.
	The issue of quality is addressed further in the Criminal litigation price competition impact assessment which can be downloaded from the consultation web page:
	https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/transforming-legal-aid
	In that impact assessment we comment on the potential impact of quality by the removal of client choice.
	We will consider the views we have received on the proposed model of competition, including the impact of those proposals on clients, provider and the wider justice system.

Legal Aid Scheme

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make an assessment of the compatibility of the removal of client choice for criminal legal aid in the criminal justice system with the United Nations' Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid.

Jeremy Wright: The Government has recently consulted on a number of proposals to reform legal aid via the “Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system” consultation which closed on 4 June 2013. This includes a proposed model of competitive tendering for criminal legal aid services. As confirmed in that consultation paper, against a background of continuing pressure on public finances, we need to continue to bear down on the cost of legal aid, including the £1 billion of taxpayers' money spent on criminal legal aid a year.
	We are clear we will continue to uphold everyone's right to a fair trial. Quality assured lawyers will still be available—just as they are now. The Legal Aid Agency would ensure as part of the tendering process that all providers are capable of delivering the full range of criminal legal aid services under contract across their procurement areas.
	The Government considers that the proposals are compatible with the United Nations Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice Systems.

Legal Aid Scheme

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to cap the number of cases receiving access to legal aid in each of the 42 procurement areas set out in the Transforming Legal Aid review.

Jeremy Wright: The Government has consulted on a number of proposals to reform legal aid via the ‘Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system’ consultation which closed on 4 June 2013. This included proposed model of competitive tendering for criminal legal aid services. We have been clear we must continue to bear down on the cost of legal aid, including the £1 billion of taxpayers' money spent on criminal legal aid a year, to ensure we are getting the best deal for the taxpayer.
	The proposals, if implemented, would not see an introduction of a cap for Criminal Legal Aid and, as such, Criminal Legal Aid will continue to be available for all eligible persons should they require it in all 42 procurement areas.

Legal Aid Scheme

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he plans to take to mitigate any risks to the quality of service received by legal aid recipients through the proposed removal of client choice.

Jeremy Wright: The Government has consulted on a number of proposals to reform legal aid via the ‘Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system’ consultation which closed on 4 June 2013. This included proposed model of competitive tendering for criminal legal aid services. We have been clear we must continue to bear down on the cost of legal aid, including the £1 billion of taxpayers' money spent on criminal legal aid a year, to ensure we are getting the best deal for the taxpayer.
	Quality assured duty solicitors and lawyers will still be available—just as they are now. The Legal Aid Agency would ensure as part of the tendering process that all providers are capable of delivering the full range of criminal legal aid services under contract across their procurement areas. Our proposals envisage a quality review which is more extensive than that in the current system.

Offenders: Rehabilitation

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on what dates the provisions in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 relating to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 were initially scheduled to enter into force; whether this date has subsequently been changed; and for what reason any such change has been made.

Jeremy Wright: The essential prerequisite for the commencement of the reforms to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 is to put in place a system for producing basic disclosure certificates, which show unspent convictions, which reflects the new rehabilitation periods for England and Wales. Until we do that there would be no way for an individual to obtain an official statement of their unspent convictions under the new rules.
	Currently, basic disclosures reflecting the existing rehabilitation periods are only available from Disclosure Scotland and this service is provided to residents of England and Wales as well as Scotland. However, the reforms to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act only revise rehabilitation periods for England and Wales, leaving the position in Scotland unchanged under its legislation. This complicates matters and creates two different rehabilitation regimes within the UK, which means that there are significant business and technical issues to work through.
	The Government is considering the best option for implementing these important changes with Disclosure Scotland and the Disclosure and Barring Service and aim to have the reforms in place at the earliest possible point.

Prisoners

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps the National Offender Management Service is taking to improve opportunities for imprisonment for public protection prisoners to progress towards release.

Jeremy Wright: The primary concern of the Government with regard to prisoners serving indeterminate sentences is that of protecting the public.
	The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 introduced a new sentencing framework for dangerous offenders. The Indeterminate Sentence for Public Protection (IPP) was abolished for offenders convicted before 3 December 2012 and was replaced by the new Extended Determinate sentence (EDS) and supporting regime. However, the abolition of the IPP sentence has not been applied retrospectively. Therefore, prisoners serving an IPP sentence will remain in custody after they have completed their tariff until the Parole Board directs their release. In making its decisions, the Parole Board will continue to apply the terms of the existing statutory release test.
	The population of IPP prisoners has now begun to decrease. This can be explained by the abolition of the sentence which means that no new IPP sentences are given for those convicted on or after 3 December. 2012, and the increasing number of releases.
	The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) continues to help IPP prisoners to address successfully the risks evident in their offending, so that, where they do, the Parole Board may decide that those offenders may now be effectively managed in the community. No longer do just accredited courses enable offenders to move on, Offender Managers and Offender Supervisors must provide the Parole Board with a comprehensive assessment of the work undertaken to address offenders' risks—and of offenders' engagement with that work.

Prisons

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the direct resource outturn expenditure was for each public sector prison in each financial year from 2009-10 to 2012-13.

Jeremy Wright: As part of the Government's Transparency Agenda, the Department routinely publishes full details of direct resource outturn expenditure for each private and public sector prison in England and Wales after the end of the financial year. The information for financial year 2009-10 to 2010-11 is published as an Addendum to the NOMS Annual Report and Accounts and available on the Department's website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prison-performance-statistics-2009-2011
	For financial year 2011-12 figures are published on the following website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prison-and-probation-trusts-performance-statistics-2011-12
	Copies of these are also placed in the House library.
	Figures for outturn expenditure for financial year 2012-13 have not yet been finalised or audited and therefore not yet available.
	The overall cost per prison place has fallen under this Government from £42,914 in 2007-08 to £37,648 in 2011-12. The Government intends to continue to drive down these costs through its strategy of replacing old, uneconomic prisons with new, cost-effective ones.

Probation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 25 March 2013, Official Report, columns 952-4W, on probation, how many offenders who failed to complete an accredited programme were subsequently (a) placed on an alternative programme, (b) ordered to retake the programme and (c) did not have to undertake any further accredited programmes.

Jeremy Wright: It is not possible to answer this question in relation to the information provided in the answer of 25 March 2013. This is because the figures provided in the earlier answer based on completions of the overall programme requirement and not instances of course attendance.
	The information provided earlier was based on aggregated completion rates for sex offender treatment programmes, domestic violence programmes and other offending behaviour programmes for each reporting year. These completion rates are calculated using a cohort method which tracks the outcome of individuals at either 12, 18, 30 or 36 months after commencement, depending on programme type, and measures the proportion that completed. Failure to complete in this measure is defined as termination of the programme requirement either during or at the end of the order or licence. Both completers and non-completers included within the original answer may have dropped out of one or more courses and gone on to complete on another course, been placed on an alternative programme or failed to complete a further course. This level of information cannot be derived from the completion rate data.

Absenteeism

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the policy of his Department is on promoting physical activity as a strategy for reducing workplace absenteeism.

Jo Swinson: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has no locus to promote physical activity in employees in general.
	The Government recognises the important role of well-being in the workplace in creating an environment where businesses and individuals can thrive and grow.
	Health, Work and Well-being is an important cross-Government agenda, in which BIS is involved and works closely with a number of other Departments.
	The Government supports a number of initiatives which impact on well-being such as the Every Business Commits framework, which was launched by the Prime Minister in December 2010 that has a specific strand focusing on improving quality of life and wellbeing for employees.
	In addition Government also commissioned the independent review of sickness absence undertaken by Dame Carol Black and David Frost CBE. Their report "Health at Work" was published in November 2011.
	Officials in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills are now working closely with colleagues in the Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and others to implement measures aimed at reducing sickness absence in the workplace as set out in the Government's response to the Review ("Fitness for Work") as published in January 2013.

Copyright: EU Law

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the reopening of Directive 2001/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of May 2001 on the harmonisation of certain aspects of copyright and related rights in the information society.

Jo Swinson: Any decision to review the directive is a matter for the European Commission who have already outlined several areas of work on copyright, including a review of directive 2001/29/EC as provided for in the directive itself. The Government believes that the time is right for such a review to take place, in order to consider the copyright issues that have stemmed from technological change.
	The Government wants to engage with interested parties on this issue and the Intellectual Property Office will be approaching stakeholders to help flesh out Government thinking so that the UK can develop a clear position and respond if any proposals are tabled.

Exports: South East Asia

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 6 November 2012, Official Report, column 594W, on exports: South East Asia, if he will publish an evaluation of the Headstart initiative six month pilot; and if he will place a copy of this evaluation in the Library.

Michael Fallon: The Headstart pilot, intended for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) new to the market, provides access to office space and locally-established UK expertise in three South East Asian markets: Indonesia; Singapore; and Thailand. The scheme is offered by the local British Chambers of Commerce in association with UK Trade & Investment and the UK-ASEAN Business Council.
	Following completion of the pilot, UK Trade & Investment has evaluated the outcome, identifying action for development of the initiative. This work will be taken forward as part of the wider Overseas Business Networks initiative announced by the Prime Minister on 12 November 2012, which aims radically to enhance the business-to-business support to UK SMEs in 20 pilot markets over the next 3-5 years.
	A copy of this evaluation of the pilot will be placed in the Library.

Gangmasters

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2013, Official Report, column 381W, on gangmasters, and with reference to the written statement by the Minister of State for Business and Enterprise of 8 November 2012, Official Report, column 43WS, on Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008, whether any orders have been made under that Act which are exceptions to the general rule, as set out in that statement, that powers to impose fixed monetary penalties, variable monetary penalties and restoration notices will only be granted where their use is restricted to undertakings with more than 250 employees.

Michael Fallon: No orders have been made under Part 3 of the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008 since the written ministerial statement was made on 8 November 2012.
	In 2010, one such order gave the Environment Agency and Natural England powers to impose sanctions in England—The Environmental Civil Sanctions (England) Order 2010 (2010/NO.1157) was made on 26 March 2010 and came into force on 6 April 2010.
	Welsh Ministers made an order that gave the Environment Agency similar powers in Wales. The Environmental Civil Sanctions (Wales) Order 2010 (2010/No.1821) was made on 14 July 2010 and came into force on 15 July 2010. These powers have now been transferred to the new Natural Resources Body for Wales, which has taken over the Welsh devolved responsibilities of the Environment Agency.

Minimum Wage

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to reduce non-compliance with the national minimum wage.

Jo Swinson: The Government is committed to national minimum wage and its effective enforcement. We are absolutely clear that anyone entitled to be paid the minimum wage should receive it and we are working hard to ensure that we reduce non-compliance across the piece.
	In 2010, we agreed a five year compliance strategy with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). We are taking a multi-faceted approach that includes targeted communications to raise awareness and help employers to comply, as well as targeted enforcement action with civil and criminal proceedings reserved for the most serious cases.
	A key aspect of our strategy is that HMRC investigates every complaint made through the free and confidential Pay and Work Rights Helpline. In addition, HMRC conducts risk-based enforcement in sectors or areas, such as apprenticeships, where there is a higher risk of workers not getting paid the legal minimum wage.
	This work is producing results: in 2012/13 HMRC identified £3.9 million in arrears of wages for 26,519 workers—this represents a 33% increase in the number of workers that HMRC were able to help in 2012/13 and a 26% increase in arrears identified compared to 2009/10.

Students: Part-time Education

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will publish the full-time equivalent of HEFCE-fundable part-time students, by parliamentary constituency in which those students have their home address, in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: Information on the number of UK domiciled HEFCE-fundable part-time students, by parliamentary constituency at English HEIs for the academic year 2011/12 will be placed in the Libraries of the House. The data has been broken down by level of study.
	Information for the 2012/13 academic year will become available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency in January 2014.
	Please note that these figures do not include HEFCE-fundable part-time students who were registered at FECs as finalised 2011-12 data are not yet available to robustly identify this population at an individual level. We estimate that there were in excess of 10,000 part-time full-time equivalent students at FECs in 2011/12.

UK Trade and Investment

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how the new education advisory group of UK Trade and Investment plans to interact with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to ensure that embassies understand the value of UK education exports in emerging markets;
	(2)  how the education advisory group of UK Trade and Investment works with education-focused private sector and charitable organisations to promote UK education exports abroad;
	(3)  what steps he is taking to ensure that UK Trade and Investment's new education advisory group will take a comprehensive view of UK education exports that goes wider than solely increasing the number of international students in UK-based universities;
	(4)  how UK Trade and Investment's new education advisory group is being recruited;
	(5)  what the remit will be of UK Trade and Investment's new education advisory group;
	(6)  what the timetable is for the recruitment of the new UK Trade and Investment education advisory group.

David Willetts: BIS and UKTI have jointly established an Education UK Unit that will identify high-value export opportunities and support UK providers to respond effectively, fostering the development of UK consortia and helping them to prepare and promote bids. It will act as a 'one-stop-shop' for overseas Governments or large companies wanting to engage UK partners in their large-scale education projects.
	The new unit forms part of the Government's industrial strategy for the education sector. We have long recognised the value of international education partnerships to the UK and already provide considerable in-country support to British companies and educational institutions working alone or in small groups through UKTI, DFID, FCO and the British Council. But there is a clear trend towards countries requiring support with large-scale education projects that require a co-ordinated effort from multiple providers.
	The remit of the new unit will be to identify suitable opportunities and support UK organisations to win large-scale commercial contracts across a wide range of education-related products and services, from schools, colleges, universities and private providers, to teaching, equipment, architecture—though higher education and vocational and technical skills. The unit will co-ordinate a joined-up UK response to make the most of these opportunities and the UK. The work of the unit will be driven by the opportunities that emerge and our response will be tailored to the needs of each project. The new unit will be staffed by a combination of existing civil servants and secondments from external organisations with an interest in education exports such as the British Council. Staff are currently being recruited to expand the small team that have piloted the approach since July 2012. The managing director of the unit is being recruited through open external competition. The new team will build to full capacity by autumn 2013.
	The Education UK Unit already works closely with relevant staff in embassies overseas, including those in emerging markets, many of whom have already been engaged in supporting UK firms in the education sector to export to and operate in their markets.
	The unit engages, often through representative and membership organisations, with a wide range of public, private and charitable organisations that have the potential to export their educational expertise or products. Although the unit will facilitate the formation of consortia, the organisations involved will determine membership and contractual arrangements.